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Sonntag, 19. September 2010

If You’re Thinking of Living in Albania … Bring Bribe Money

Corruption is a problem the world over, but few countries rival Albania, according to a recent survey from Transparency International, a watchdog group. (Photo: Armando Babando/EPA)

Transparency International, a Berlin-based corruption watchdog group, has released its 4th annual “Global Corruption Barometer” survey (a full PDF is available here) — essentially a global opinion poll of local populations aimed at gauging how exposed their lives are to an entrenched culture of official graft.
As one might expect, one of the principal impediments to development around the world is corruption.
“When basic services like electricity are denied to the poor because they cannot afford a small bribe,” said Hugette Labelle, Chair of the group, in the opening of the report, “there is no light in the home, no warmth for the children and no escape for the government from its responsibility to take action.”
The survey comes at the question from a variety of angles, but on this simple question — “In the last 12 months, have you or anyone living in your household paid a bribe in any form? — Africa tops the list regionally, with 36 percent of those surveyed answering “yes.” Moroccans, specifically, had the highest score — 60 percent saying they had paid bribes. Cameroon was not far behind, at 57 percent.
Asia and the Pacific looked comparatively better, with Indonesia delivering the worst score: 18 percent of respondents said they’d paid some sort of bribe. Meanwhile, perhaps undermining the charges of Fijian military commander Frank Bainimarama, who accused the country’s prime minister of widespread corruption before staging a coup earlier this week, the island nation had the second lowest corruption score in the region, with only three percent of the population reporting shady dealings — the same as in Canada.
But the biggest winner, or, loser, was not in Africa or Asia or Latin America. It was in Europe — Albania — where 66 percent of respondents said they have to pay out to officials to get things done. Elsewhere in Europe, the Czech Republic and Greece (both members of the European Union) and Romania (joining in January) all indicated that bribery was an established part of the system, with scores at or near 20 percent.
The United States? A squeaky clean two percent. And no, these things don’t count.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Albania Corruption Row Flares

Prosecutors Launch a problem While politicians left and right trade allegations of wrongdoing.

Has gone much deeper problem of corruption in Albania. Both major parties, accused each other that are grabbing property and old property owners, while the country is in the way to join the European perspective.

Charges are made for a long time not only from international institutions but also by the European Union, in which the process of property in Albania, is becoming a dangerous match between tow gladiator political concurrent, from both sides of politics.

A bill, passed recently by the Albanian parliament for property and foreign investment, but it was contentious from the opposition, which considered the voting process as "Attempt against the Constitution of Albania"

Athens has also recently expressed its dissatisfaction official to properties extortion and alienation of the Greeks, especially in southern Albania and the coast.